cockspur

[ kok-spur ]

/ ˈkɒkˌspɜr /

a North American hawthorn, Crataegus crus-galli, having leathery, toothed leaves and red fruit, cultivated as a small ornamental tree.

a gaslight burner having three jets.

Origin of cockspur

First recorded in 1585–95; for cock's spur

In 1871 a group of 32 burly Victorians met at the Pall Mall restaurant on Cockspur Street and started the Rugby Football Union.

Olympics Kickoff: Boris Johnson on London’s Sporty Side |Boris Johnson |July 27, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
The shape and general appearance of this tube has procured it, among the workmen, the name of the cockspur burner.

A Practical Treatise on Gas-light |Fredrick Accum
Cockspur (Cratægus crus-galli) may be taken as the type of more than twenty species of cockspur thorns growing in this country.

American Forest Trees |Henry H. Gibson
The many species of cockspur thorns are multiplied by numerous varieties.

American Forest Trees |Henry H. Gibson

One afternoon in the spring of '95 I happened to meet him at a corner of Cockspur Street.

And Even Now |Max Beerbohm
The shape and general appearance of this tube has procured for it, among the workmen, the name of the "cockspur" burner.

Gas Burners |Owen Merriman

cockspur

/ (ˈkɒkˌspɜː) /

a spur on the leg of a cock

an annual grass, Echinochloa crus-galli, widely distributed in tropical and warm temperate regions

a small thorny North American hawthorn tree, Crataegus crus-galli